Drabble Hard, Mega Hard
by Patron Saint of Mediocrity
Summary: Sorry, couldn't resist the title. My take on the jdphoenix challenge. Mostly unconnected ryelsi-drabbles updated whenever uni allows me to breathe
1. Patience

**Patience**

Ryan Evans was a very patient man. He had endured endless shopping sprees with his dominant and overbearing sister, and had borne the rumor that he might be homosexual with more grace than most teen aged boys could ever hope to achieve.

So, when Kelsi took a wrong step (again) and spun to the left instead of the right (again) and he still managed to have that special smile on his face that was just for her (a mixture of adoration, mirth and slight exasperation), she could not help sending a very grateful thought to whoever was responsible for his patience.

_So, this is a direct reply to the challenges laid out by jdphoenix on lj, and my maiden voyage into the world of drabbles. Never tried them before (but, to be fair, this is only my second fic ever), so this really is a challenge for me._

_Oh, and I want to say thank you to the completely wonderful, fantastic and absolutely beautiful people who reviewed my first fic. You guys made me smile through the whole weekend :)_

_More to come... (mwahahahahahaaaaa)_


	2. Dare

**Dare**

Never ever, ever, ever again, Ryan Evans silently vowed as he emptied his stomach for the 7th time in an hour. He had begun his first semester at Julliard just a week ago, and tonight had been the final and largest welcoming party of them all. Apparently, even at prestigious creative schools, there were excruciatingly stupid traditions. Such as the dare that had let to Ryan drinking ten tequila shots in the span of fifteen minutes and that he was now paying the price for.

"So, have we learned anything from this?" asked the pretty brunette sitting at his bedside while she placed a cold cloth on his forehead and gently swiped the blond hair back. She, never one for big parties with a lot of strangers, had been at her dorm when she had received a call from her best friend's roommate asking her if she could pick Ryan up and make sure he didn't pass out in a bush somewhere.

As he slowly opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of Kelsi illuminated from behind by his desk lamp and looking utterly angelic, he smiled. He'd learned that he definitely could get used to that sight.

_Zer double length drabble of Doom + 3. _

_This was written with the grandmother of all hangovers and as a dedication to my wonderful, patient and loving boyfriend who is always ready and willing to take care of me when I stumble in punch-drunk at 3 am screeching "Achy Breaky Heart" at the top of my lungs._


	3. Why?

**Why?**

Sharpay blew her nose in her typically melodramatic fashion, and turned to her brother. "Why," she wailed, tears brimming in her eyes yet again. "Why would Ken Bersek not want **me**?" She waved a piece of tissue around with a flourish of her wrist. " I mean, everyone wants to be me, so why would he not want to be with me?"

Ryan let out a small sigh while he searched for the correct answer. When no obvious choice presented itself, he went for the classic. "Because he's an idiot, Sis"

Sharpay smiled happily. "Oh, Ryan, I just knew you'd understand!"

_So, a deviation from my usual saccharine ways. Just wanted a piece to explore the Ryan-Sharpay interactions. I always saw Ryan as someone saying what Sharpay wanted to hear because a) he loves his sister and b)it probably makes her easier to live with._

_On another note, I seem to have a lot of people reading this, but not so many reviewing. So far, I have 200+ reading each chapter and 7 reviews (which I cherish and adore). If it's because it's bad? Tell me, so that I may learn from it and make it better. Becase it's good? Tell me, so that I may rejoice. Because it's bland? Tell me, and I'll add spice. Just let me know, good or bad, and make my day (punk) :)_


	4. Take My Hand

**Take My Hand**

Kelsi was pacing on the well worn linoleum floor of the airport. "I can't do this, Ryan!! What if I'm not good enough and the scholarship was a mistake? What if the other kids won't like me?"

Ryan lost the battle against the smile he had been fighting for half an hour. "Did you actually just say that? Kels, we're starting college, not kindergarten all over again. And how you still manage to doubt your own amazing talent after all this time is a mystery to me "

"You say that every time."

"It's true every time"

Kelsi stopped to give him a small reluctant smile before resuming her previous activity. "Anyway, how come you're not nervous? I mean, apart from the terrifying prospect of starting at a seriously competitive college, we are going to be all alone in a huge city in another state, for crying out loud!"

Ryan gently placed a hand on her right shoulder to stop her. "Relax, Kels. Deep breaths. Listen, everything is going to be fine. Better than fine, actually. Brilliant. I am confident in my talent and certain of yours. And I promise you that you are never going to be alone over there. We're in this together, remember? "

He held out his hand and smiled encouragingly at her. "So what do you say? Shall we embark on this new adventure, milady?"

She took his hand and looked him in the eyes with a mischievous smile playing at her lips. "Start spreading the news."

_And the fluff is back!_

_A two-and-a-half drabble. The little blighter seemed to have a life of its own ans blatantly refused my attempts to either shorten or lengthen it, so as it is, it shall remain. _

_And apparently, begging for reviews is rather efficient. Thank you again, any and all who leave a comment :)_


	5. Spellbound

**Spellbound**

Kelsi's mouth opened and closed several times before she composed (no pun intended) herself. "Could you run that one by me again," she asked in vague horror.

Betty, the president of the Julliard drama club, smiled enthusiastically. "Don't you see the potential here? The success of Harry Potter on page is immense, and what better way to beat that not-quite-living-horse than to do it as a musical? After all, who wants a stuffy ol' book when there are sparkles and catchy tunes and wicked dance moved to be mesmerized by? And that is where you two-" she pointed at Kelsi and her blond companion "-come in. So what do you say?"

Ryan mentally degraded the experience of getting his scholarship. If this school let people like that in and let them rise to such positions, maybe a transfer was in order. Of course, that would mean leaving Kelsi behind and that was the one thing he had promised himself not to do. Instead, he exchanged a look with hi- _the_ composer. The terror so clearly written on her face at the prospect of being partly to blame for "Harry Potter – The Magic On Stage!!!" matched his own.

"...........How about we just do "Fiddler on the Roof" again?"

_I'M BAAACK! Damn, it's been a while. Exams have been crazy so far, and I'm still not done. (Currently trying to make sense of Kant, which I just... kan't. Bad pun, BAD PUN!) I had sworn to myself that I wold neither read nor write anything not related to uni, but as all my other hopes, dreams and aspirations, that was shattered yesterday when I got a mail saying that _eddie484_ had_ _added this story to his/her watch list, and I was so exhilarated that someone still read my little piece of jun- WORK that I felt compelled to write again. Yes. I am that weak._


	6. Routine

**Routine**

It had begun as a random meeting in the coffee shop on campus. As Kelsi turned around after getting her morning cup of Earl Grey, she bumped into Ryan, evidently on the prowl after black coffee.

This led to Ryan concluding that they were obviously both very _bitter_ people and then share Kelsi's incredulous laughter at the horrid pun with a slight tinge of red around his ears.

Soon, Ryan would be waiting for her at exactly 8.08 am with a smile and a Styrofoam cup just for her. They would discuss any- and everything that popped into their heads: news of their friends, schoolwork, movies and musicals. He would then walk her to her first class of the day or, on Wednesdays, when neither of them had classes until twelve, they could be found wandering aimlessly around the park. Eventually, neither could imagine starting their day any other way.

* * *

_You know, nervous energy concering impending doom (aka exams) can very succesfully be transformed into furious writing. Please, tell me what you think. Love it , hate it, made you want to make a bomb out of household chemicals (in which case you probably should seek professional counsel), just drop me a line and I will be embarrassingly grateful to you._


	7. Knight

**Knight**

The black knight faced the white queen, and a smirk grew on his general's lips.

"Checkmate," Ryan declared and watched his opponent's face disappear as she slammed her head down onto the table in a despairing gesture.

"That's it," the impressive amount of brown curls said with a note of finality in it's voice. "That is the 5th game in a row that I've lost, please spare me any further humiliation."

Ryan stretched lazily on his chair. "So, you'll admit it, then?"

The mop of hair groaned and slowly raised itself from the desk to reveal a slightly grumpy composer. She sighed, and with an air of mixed amusement and irritation, she began the recitation. "I, Kelsi Nielsen, being of sound mind, am willing to admit to the fact that Ryan Evans forever and always will beat me in anything strategic in nature. Happy now?" The blond young man on the opposite side of her grinned and slit a piece of paper towards her. "Ecstatic. Now please sign the prearranged contract" With a lot less grumbling than he expected, she complied.

"There. Now will you tell me how you got to be a freaky militant genius?"

He tipped his hat in her direction. "It's all a dance, my dear."

* * *

_So, funny story. I just had the first of my exams of Doom +3 today, and actually got an A in Plato and Aristotle's philosophies (specifically their views regarding ontology), which I have next to no clue about. This naturally lead me to the conclusion that fic writing is very healthy and in fact improves on the results before an important final. Thus, I write this, confident that it will help me with my last one on Monday._


	8. Youth

**Youth **

Brown curls blew over and intermingled with blond locks. "Why do I have the feeling that deciding to go to the top of the Empire State Building in the middle of an October storm was not the best idea ever conceived?"

Kelsi had given up trying to tug her rebellious hair behind her ears, and fished one of her ever present newsboy hats out of her bag. Hat firmly held in place by her right hand's death grip on it, she turned to her companion with an enthusiastic smile. " Oh, come on, Ryan! It's the first weekend since we got to the city without dance rehearsals or compulsory symphony trips and with time to just be _us_."

Ryan took her unoccupied hand in his and gave her a warm smile. "I know it has been kind of crazy since we started, but do we have to see _all_ the sights in New York in one day? We do have to be here for a while, you know."

Kelsi gave a despairing sigh. "But both our families are coming here for Thanksgiving, and I still haven't figured out a tour plan to ensu-," she managed before her boyfriend cut her rambling short with a kiss.

"Take it easy, and let's just enjoy today in all its stress-free glory."

Kelsi's lips curled up at the edges. "Okay, fine. I'll stop being obsessive for now. _But_," she held up a slim finger. "I still want to see how much we can make of this day. So, what do you think? Statue of Liberty after this, then Coney Island and finish off gawking at the lights of Times Square tonight?"

Ryan slumped against the railing. "Woman, have mercy on me. I no longer have the exuberance of youth."

"You're four and a half months older than me."

"And I'm feeling every minute of it."

"You can dance for five hours straight."

Realizing he had no answer to that, he shut his eyes in defeat. Kelsi just smiled, took his hand and tugged her only half-reluctant favorite dancer towards the elevator. "Come on, Grandpa. I'll buy you a corn dog."

* * *

_And my thesis has been proved. Fic writing helped me get an A in my final exam too (that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!), so now I'm on a break before uni starts up again i Febuary. Oh, sweet, sweet freedom, how I do adore thee! As always, drop me a line and make me even more happy than I already am right now (FREEDOM! MUAHAHAHAHAAA). Ehrm. Sorry about than._


End file.
